(1) Field of the Invention
The invention generally relates to an absorbent towel, and more specifically, to an absorbent, pile towel construction having quick-drying properties.
(2) Description of the Prior Art
Towels are generally woven on looms to include a ground fabric and an extra set of warp or filling yarns. The yarns of this extra set are interlaced with the ground warp and filling yarns to form a plurality of loops or cut ends which extend outwardly from one or both surfaces of the ground fabric to form a pile. The ground fabric is typically a plain weave construction. The various fiber or yarn inputs and/or the towel production process can be varied in order to produce towels having varied styles, levels of quality, patterns, and the like. For example, to achieve a towel having a pattern, the yarns fed to form the ground fabric and/or pile can be varied in color, luster, yarn size, etc., or the pile height can be varied in selected areas. Similarly, to vary the level of towel quality, the quality and size of the yarns woven can be varied, as well as the number of warp and filling ends. Likewise, other features of the input materials, such as the twist, type spun, etc., can be selected to determine the type of towel produced.
Because towels are generally used to dry other objects, they are customarily designed to be highly absorbent. To this end, towels have historically been manufactured from all or substantially all cotton yarns. While cotton has been found to be advantageous in many respects (i.e., it is absorbent, relatively durable, and generally available), it also presents several drawbacks. For one, cotton tends to shrink when exposed while wet to high temperatures such as those of a conventional hot dryer. In addition, while cotton is a good moisture absorber, it is less inclined to release the absorbed moisture. As a result, the drying time for cotton towels tends to be relatively long, and the thicker the yarns which are used to form the towels, the longer it typically takes them to dry. This slow drying is disadvantageous in several respects: not only does it result in increases in time between the instances when the towels can be used, but the slow drying encourages souring and mildew of the towels. Thus, consumers are often forced to buy towels which are less plush than they would prefer from an aesthetic (i.e., look and feel) perspective, in order to obtain a towel which will dry suitably quickly.
Various modifications to conventional 100% cotton pile towel constructions have been proposed to combat the problems associated with shrinkage. One such proposal is described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,721,274 to Sherrill, et al., which describes a towel construction with a reduced tendency to shrink. The towel has a base of interwoven sets of ground warp and filling yarns, with at least one of the sets of ground yarns being formed of a blend of cellulosic and 35-65% polyester fibers. Because the inclusion of the polyester reduces the absorbency of the fabric, in the preferred embodiment of the invention, the terry yarns forming one of the towel surfaces are absorbent rayon yarns, which are intended to make up for the absorbency loss caused by the inclusion of the polyester in the ground fabric.
Other commercially available towels include a percentage of polyester fibers in the ground fabric in order to reduce the tendency of the towel to shrink when convection dried. The percentage is generally limited to about 14% or less of polyester in the ground fabric, since amounts greater than that tend to adversely affect the absorbency of the towel.
One known commercial attempt to produce a towel having quick-drying capabilities is sold under the tradename AQUIS.RTM. and is manufactured by Teijin, Ltd. of Japan. This product is a flat weave double cloth which is made from a blend of wickable nylon fibers and polyester fibers. Because the towel does not contain cotton pile yarns, the comfort and "feel" properties generally associated with all-cotton towels are not provided. This product is extremely expensive to manufacture currently and is only used as a small hair towel.
Thus, a need exists for a towel which has a high rate of absorbency, quick drying capabilities, and a comfortable feel to a user.